Clyde Protection!

First off, I have found the best sizing in clothing comes from Nashbar's house brand and Hoss. Both run in classic 'US' sizing, which I am used to. I normally buy a Men's large, and it is perfect. However, I ordered a super lightweight jacket the other day in a Men's XXL so I could fit it over my work clothes, and it didn't fit even with just a tee shirt on! What the ****?! The biggest annoyance was how much time I spent trying to find the right jacket for what I needed it for at a good sale price. I need a jacket in that super duper lightweight tissue paper material that breathes and keeps moisture out. I live in the desert, so it never gets cold. The point of the jacket is for visibility at night when I ride or commute and for sudden desert downpours, which are always warm rains. The one I ordered is the right material, folds up to the size of a couple decks of cards, but doesn't fit :/

However, I also ordered Nashbar's house brand cycling jersey in a large xtra tall, and it is the PERFECT fit! Not too tight, and not baggy. Very happy! I also ordered some cheapo size large Hoss sleeveless as base layers, and they also fit exactly as I want them too! They are skin tight, so I can stick them on under my jersey and they are are nice and thin and work fantastic for wicking off moisture on hots days. Plus, I ordered the Hoss in tan, since you want to wear light colors out here, and it is just thick enough to NOT be see through! Important as a chick, and harder than you would think to find! I have to layer white undershirts, and you can still see my bra. No problem with this in my Hoss, I can wear it without an undershirt Obviously, the only problem with both is saggy shoulders since I don't have men's shoulders, but this is a problem I have long learned to not care about when everything else fits fine.

The final find was from Amazon, some padded Canari cycling shorts in XXL. I followed the sizing chart when I ordered these, and found the size to be somewhere between US sizing and the smaller Euro sizing. The XXL is a bit big, but XL would have been a bit tight. Because they are meant to be liners, I am thinking I actually want them to be tight and should have gotten the XL. I can wear the XXL over some capris, and they still stay nice and tight without being constrictive. I usually wear a L-XL in men's pants, so the sizing is just about right. They fit like a comfy pair of lycra shorts. The legs are the part that make me the happiest! I have a short inseam of around 28, so the leg stretches to just at my knee. The leg stays put and does not roll one bit! It also has some rubber on the inside bottom of the legs, so that helps a lot with preventing rolling. But, covering my entire thigh is the BIGGEST help, both for my own modesty and in keeping the shorts where I want them. The padding on them is just the right amount, but I do wish there was a *tad* bit more in the seat. The amount in the crotch I find to be perfect! It doesn't catch on the nose of the saddle, which was my big concern if the shorts were too baggy or the padding was excessive. And, of course, being a woman, they look great on me Smooth out my thighs and ass and show off my kick ass calves of steel!

Ok, now for the questions I have! First, is padding. Specifically elbow pads and knee pads to begin with. As a fat kid, I remember always having one HELL of a time finding protection gear that wasn't uncomfortably restrictive. I would come home from soccer practice with swollen legs and painful red marks where the shin guards dug in. I went through a different pair every season, and not until my last couple of season when my parents found me some men's ones did it stop. Obviously, I am bigger now that I was when I was 9, so I know this will be a concern again. Don't need anything *too* hardcore yet, just something inexpensive for small bumps and bruises. But there will be a point that I will thrash the cheap stuff and need to upgrade, but that is down the road Also, how do you guys feel about full armor? I haven't even LOOKED at it, knowing that to do so would just frustrate me. I don't even think I need it, I am not a downhill rider. Elbow and knee pads seem like plenty! The problem, of course, is that I am female so my elbows and knees aren't *huge* just *fat*. When I skated, my elbows and knees would move under the pads I wore because they were like a giant cup over my joints. I fell a few times and actually bruised the **** out of myself when the sides of the hard pads jarred into me because my joints slid out of the cups, even though the straps never moved. So, basically, I need woman sized pads with XXL straps.

I am also wondering why there are special biking/ cycling shoes for flats? What do they have that regular tennis shoes don't? I wear my most comfortable walking shoes when I bike, and I do get a lot of pain in the balls of my feet. I have a pair of skate shoes, but they are not as comfy as my walking shoes. Will I have better results with those while biking? What should I look for in shoes that make them good for cycling? I have lots of sport shoes already, so I would rather use some of them with a good insert than buy cycling shoes if cycling shoes don't have anything special on them.

with regard to knee and elbow pads, i'm using L/XL Fox Launch Pro knee guards and elbow guards. These have saved my skin from crashes several times. nowadays, i always wear them even if it's just XC riding. some might find me wearing these overkill, but it's my knees/elbows, not theirs, so i don't care what they think.

i'm looking to do some AMing in the future, and am always worried when i hear of people getting their collar bone or ribs broken due to really aggressive AM riding. that said, i'm looking to invest in body armour. but since body armour is practically non-existent here, i have to order online for that, and that makes things iffy because i'd prefer to fit one before buying. otherwise, money down the drain if it doesn't fit.

i feel your pain when it comes to finding the right size. im 6-4 with a long torso and long arms, so nothing EVER fits right- and if i get a 2x tall that has sleeves that are actually the right length, it fits my torso like a tent.

cant help ya with pads. never wear them. i may, however, start this winter; plan to do a lot of riding indoors at rays cleveland. time will tell.

if you have never experinced the stickiness of 5.10 shoes, you'll never 'get it'. i knew about the magic of 5.10s as soon as i heard they made cycling shoes, as i used to rock climb back in the day, and wore nothing but 5.10 climbing shoes. their rubber compound sticks better than a wet booger to a window. plus, they have much stiffer shanks in the soles than your athletic shoes- gets rid of that soreness in the balls of your feet. your skate shoes arent nearly stiff enough to handle the rigors of riding. if you are going to stay on flats, it would be in your best interest to score a pair of 5.10s- although teva is supposedly making some flats now that are allegedly comparable, and worth a look-see.

The skate shoes aren't perfect, but they have been serving me a lot better than my walking shoes. They are a pair of Dickies something-or-anothers with a steel toe. The steel toe is nice, I have avoided a couple stubs from scraping already

Still can't find pads that seem like they will fit. My arms are an easy fit, I ordered some full armor off clearance and some elbow off clearance. I also grabbed some compression sleeves, because it seems all elbow pads slide... unless you put something over them. Then, it is no problem.

Now for knees and shins... pain in the effin ass to find something inexpensive. I have been looking at the McDavid Hexforce pads. They can be used for knee/ shin/ arm, depending on the size you get. The XXL should fit my knee, and the XL should fit my calves. The problem is, I don't think they are biking pads. They are too lightweight, and EVERYONE says they tear really easily.

The other problem I run into is how short my legs are. I have found a couple full armor that would fit the top of my leg, but, alas, they were WAY too long for my stubby calves. The fox launch is one of them. Seems I need the 'shorties' or 1/2 shin versions of pads. Of course, these start to get way out of my budget, I would like to spend no more than $30, but $50 is my absolute limit. I am starting to get into bill money here, but I figure a copay to stitch up my dumb ass would be more than some ****ing pads! And stop biking until I get money for the pads? Completely out of the question

I read in another thread about using HOCKEY gear. It gets really ****ing hot here, so I am trying to get the lightest pads I can. Is there maybe another kind of sport gear I should look at? Soccer gear or something?

Needed to refresh this thread. I just got my POC VDP2 in the mail....unfortunately they're too tight and don't come in anything bigger than a large.
I'm thinking to try the 661 D30s or the Fox pro launches.

I am using the McDavid Hexforce pads in XXL for my knees. I was wary of them at first, but they have both held up nicely and protected me surprisingly well when I fell. They looked thin, but the design works very well and has prevented any injury. They aren't meant for anything too aggressive, but XC should be perfect. I wear them under my riding pants. The pants have holes all over from where I fell, but not the pads. The fit is quite tight, which is why I wore them under the pants in the first place. It took a few rides to wear in so they didn't bind uncomfortably, and now I don't know they are there. They do like to slip a bit now too, but the pants help a bit in holding them in place. The slipping is minor, they just need a quick yank every hour or so. I found them for about 18 bucks shipped. Not too bad, but I have certainly gotten my money out of them from performance, so I am happy.

For my elbows, I use sixsixone's veggie pads in XL. They are like two sizes to big for my arm. They are HUGE. I have to wear arm warmers under them so they don't slide off as bad. They are constantly sliding all the way down, but they are pretty heavy duty. I don't have huge arms, so for guys sporting some major guns, you may want to try to find these. I tried to find the knee pads, hoping they also ran big, but didn't have much luck.